In Vivo Microbial Coevolution Favors Host Protection and Plastic Downregulation of Immunity

Abstract Microbiota can protect their hosts from infection. The short timescales in which microbes can evolve presents the possibility that “protective microbes” can take-over from the immune system of longer-lived hosts in the coevolutionary race against pathogens. Here, we found that coevolution b...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular biology and evolution 2021-04, Vol.38 (4), p.1330-1338
Main Authors: Ford, Suzanne A, King, Kayla C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Caenorhabditis elegans
Discoveries
Genes
Methicillin
Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms)
Staphylococcus aureus
Virulence (Microbiology)
Wildlife conservation
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Summary:Abstract Microbiota can protect their hosts from infection. The short timescales in which microbes can evolve presents the possibility that “protective microbes” can take-over from the immune system of longer-lived hosts in the coevolutionary race against pathogens. Here, we found that coevolution between a protective bacterium (Enterococcus faecalis) and a virulent pathogen (Staphylococcus aureus) within an animal population (Caenorhabditis elegans) resulted in more disease suppression than when the protective bacterium adapted to uninfected hosts. At the same time, more protective E. faecalis populations became costlier to harbor and altered the expression of 134 host genes. Many of these genes appear to be related to the mechanism of protection, reactive oxygen species production. Crucially, more protective E. faecalis populations downregulated a key immune gene, , known to be effective against S. aureus infection. These results suggest that a microbial line of defense is favored by microbial coevolution and may cause hosts to plastically divest of their own immunity.
ISSN:1537-1719
0737-4038
1537-1719
DOI:10.1093/molbev/msaa292